[Location: The Grand Hall of Deities]
Reincarnation is not something the gods do on a regular basis.
To begin with, reincarnation goes against the very rules that govern the system of existence. It is not just forbidden.
None of the gods possess the authority to reincarnate a soul.
Granting a soul another life is not beyond their power, but beyond their jurisdiction.
It is simply not within their hands, far beyond their paygrade, something they are not allowed to do without being summoned before the most terrifying existence of all, the 'Watcher', an entity known for being anything but forgiving.
But today was a special case.
No.
Calling it a special case would be a massive understatement.
This was something that had literally never happened until now.
As for the divine blessings they so generously bestowed upon Samuel, that part was not particularly unusual.
Gods and goddesses often grant divine blessings to mortals they favor.
However, it is exceedingly rare, almost unheard of, for a single mortal soul to receive so many blessings from so many gods across different pantheons all at once.
Anyway.
It had only been a few minutes since the mortal's soul had been sent into the reincarnation system.
The goddess Freya still stared at the spot where the young man's soul had once stood, as if he were still there.
Her face was expressionless and somber.
Not a trace of brightness remained on the face of the goddess of beauty.
It was as though her entire world was collapsing.
Whatever thoughts clouded her mind were unknown, but it was obvious they revolved around the young soul they had just reincarnated.
Her train of thought was interrupted when several more figures suddenly appeared throughout the Grand Hall of Deities, their presences familiar to her.
"Is it done?" one of the newly arrived figures asked in an annoyed tone.
"Yes, it is done, Zeus. The soul of that young man you killed by striking him with a massive lightning bolt is now in the reincarnation system. He should be reborn in a few minutes," the Heavenly Father said with a weary sigh.
"You say that while looking at me as if I did it on purpose. It is not like I wanted to kill him. They were the ones who forced this on us, to have him killed under the guise of an accident and then reincarnate him into a fantasy world with the blessings of numerous gods. I followed their plan exactly, so stop looking at me like that. It is annoying." Zeus shrugged, then summoned a blue goblet and dipped it into Amrita, the divine nectar of immortality, drinking it as though it were wine.
"We are aware of that. But that boy believed his death was caused by your mistake. The least you could have done was appear before him and apologize, to give him some false sense of closure," the goddess Lakshmi said, her gaze resting on Zeus with quiet disappointment.
"Hey, I'm not some petty god. I don't mind apologizing to a kid. Orders or not, I know it was my lightning bolt that took his life. It's just… it's…"
Zeus's face darkened, and a suffocating pressure spread from him.
"I fucking hate humans."
"Oh, here we go again…" the eye-patched god muttered, rubbing his temple with a tired sigh.
"Do you have any idea how ridiculous they make me look?" Zeus snapped, his voice rising. "In their myths, their stories, their modern takes, even anime and all that, they portray me like I'm some uncontrollable sex maniac. Like I've got nothing but lust rattling around in my head. As if I'd chase anything that moves and fuck it senseless?!"
His anger only escalated.
"I'm a dignified, benevolent god! I care about doing right by those damn humans, and what do I get? Drawings of me screwing goats or beasts? Seriously, you should all be grateful I haven't lost my temper and wiped them out with a storm of lightning!"
By the end, he was nearly shouting, his frustration boiling over.
The other gods exchanged looks, their expressions carrying a mix of resignation and faint sympathy.
This wasn't new.
Zeus had gone on this exact rant more times than any of them could count, complaining about how humans twisted his image in their stories and art.
"Yes, yes, we've heard it all before. Humans wronged you, and you hate them. Moving on," the Heavenly Father said, waving a hand dismissively.
"Right… it's not like they dragged your names through the mud too, just mine," Zeus muttered under his breath, turning away with a sulky huff.
No one bothered to respond.
"Anyway," the Heavenly Father continued, "everything went according to the plan they forced upon us. The boy was struck down by Zeus's lightning by 'accident,' received blessings from many gods, and was sent into the reincarnation system. That means our role in this is finished."
He paused for a moment, his expression tightening slightly.
"That's all they demanded from us, correct?"
"Yeah, that's about it," Odin replied, folding his arms across his chest.
The Norse god-king's single eye narrowed in thought.
"They're probably watching us even now. If they are, they'll know we carried out their orders exactly. I suppose we're free to return to our eternal, uneventful lives, where nothing strange or spontaneous ever happens, and where a day like today will never repeat itself."
Beside him, Frigga quietly observed Freya, her brows knitting together as she noticed the younger goddess's troubled expression.
"Are you alright, Freya?" she asked softly.
"Yeah…" Freya nodded faintly, though her voice lacked conviction. "It's just… I've watched over him his entire life. It felt like I was his patron goddess."
She hesitated, her concern slipping through. "I never imagined the one soul I cared for personally would end up caught in something like this… He's not in danger, is he?"
Her unease did not go unnoticed.
The other gods and goddesses could clearly see the worry etched across her face.
Freya, the goddess of beauty and love, was genuinely distressed over the fate of the young soul they had all played a part in manipulating.
"Once he is reincarnated, continue watching over him as you always have," Frigga said gently, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "With you guiding him, I doubt harm will come to him."
"…I would do that regardless," Freya replied quietly.
After a brief pause, she added, "Do we even know why we had to put him through all this?"
"We don't," Odin answered bluntly. "They summoned all the god-kings and high-ranking deities by force. Treated us like we were nothing. Then they threatened us."
His jaw tightened slightly. "The pressure alone was enough to crush the soul. None of us were in any position to question them."
"Exactly," Brahma said, his voice uneasy.
His expression darkened as the memory resurfaced.
"They could have erased us with a single thought. I still don't understand why they needed us to reincarnate a mortal when they could have done it themselves."
He paused, a flicker of fear crossing his face. "Their power… it was overwhelming. Even we felt like ants before them. I never imagined such beings existed within our universe."
"I expected the Watcher to intervene, but he did nothing. Perhaps he approves… or perhaps even he cannot interfere.. Who knows."
"Either way, it is deeply unsettling. Entities like that appearing without warning… forcing us into something so arbitrary… it does not sit well."
"Whatever the case, we had no choice," Zeus declared, his voice firm and final. "It was obedience or annihilation. For now, we return to our domains. But stay alert. Keep watch over the boy."
With that, the king of the Greek gods vanished.
One by one, the others followed, disappearing from the grand hall and returning to their respective pantheons until only a few remained.
The Hindu god Vishnu, calm and composed, turned to his wife with a hint of curiosity. "I must admit, I was surprised you allowed him to drink Amrita, Lakshmi."
"I was surprised as well," Durga added, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "Even more surprising is that his soul endured the effects of the Amrita."
The goddess Lakshmi only smiled, her expression serene.
"I cannot explain it," she said lightly. "Perhaps it was simply an impulse. I wanted to give him something that was mine… not just another blessing."
After a few more moments of idle conversation, they too departed, leaving the vast hall empty.
All except for one.
Freya remained behind.
Once she realized she was alone, a long, weary sigh escaped her lips as she slowly made her way to a nearby chair and sank into it.
"Oh, my sweet Samuel…" she murmured softly. "What is this shit you've gotten yourself into? Who are those overpowered monsters that made even the god-kings tremble in fear?"
Questions filled her mind without end, circling endlessly like stars bound in orbit.
Who was this boy they had blessed and sent away?
Who were those terrifying entities that commanded even gods, treating them like ants?
What was truly happening?
No matter how much she thought about it, one truth remained clear.
There were no answers waiting for her.
"Please be safe…" she whispered, her voice soft with quiet affection. "Whoever you truly are, it doesn't matter. To me, you're still the boy I watched over."
With that final thought, she closed her eyes, letting the weight of it all fade as she drifted into sleep.